After School Matters Introduces World-Class Teen Facility

We are pleased to announce the recently completed renovations of The Michael and Karyn Lutz Family Center for After School Matters in Chicago, Illinois. Renovations encompassed more than 34,000 square feet in the building donated by The Michael and Karyn Lutz Family Foundation.

After School Matters is a non-profit organization that aims to provide Chicago public high school teens with the opportunity to develop and explore their passions, while allowing them the ability to acquire critical skills to prepare them for work, college, and beyond. Since the non-profit’s establishment in 1991, they have been able to provide the opportunity for high school students to participate in hands-on apprenticeships and summer programs in the arts, sciences, sports, technology, and communications. With nearly 90 percent of teens attending Chicago public schools living at or below the Federal poverty level, the new family center will strengthen After School Matter’s mission to empower its community’s youth.

Our team at Reed was selected by After School Matters and SpaanTech to complete the renovation of a four-story commercial office building, which will be used as a world-class neighborhood programming facility dedicated to teenagers. The building is now equipped with complete mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) infrastructure upgrades, which also includes a new fire suppression system. Interior renovations feature a full commercial-grade kitchen, a new dance studio, vocal booths, computer labs, and an art center. To note one of the project’s unique design features, a cement canvas was constructed over the interior walls allowing After School Matters teens the creative freedom to design their own murals. Along with the building renovations, we completed an acre of site redevelopments, which include new concrete walkways, an additional exterior stair tower cladded in decorative metal panels, an ornamental canopy at the entry, and installation of new curtain wall elements with additional windows throughout the building. Construction began on this extensively involved project in October of 2016 and was completed in five months.

Senior Project Manager Joe Kozlowski led the project team for Reed Construction. He was joined by Project Manager Erik Gunderson, Project Engineer James Tang, and Project Superintendent John Menendez. Architectural services were provided by Eckenhoff Saunders. SPAAN Tech served as the owner’s representative.